The Shore bookcover

The Shore

A Novel
4.9/5.0
21,000+ Reviews
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Description

A mother and her two daughters spend a summer grappling with heartbreak, young love, and the weight of secrets in this “deeply felt family saga” (Entertainment Weekly) hailed as “one of the best beach reads of all time” (Today).

Brian and Margot Dunne live year-round in Seaside, just steps away from the bustling boardwalk, with their daughters Liz and Evy. The Dunnes run a real estate company, making their living by quickly turning over rental houses for tourists. But the family’s future becomes precarious when Brian develops a brain tumor, transforming into an erratic version of himself. Amidst the chaos and new caretaking responsibilities, Liz still seeks out summer adventure and flirting with a guy she should know better than to pursue. Her younger sister Evy works in a candy shop, falls in love with her friend Olivia, and secretly adopts the persona of a middle-aged mom in an online support group, where she discovers her own mother’s vulnerable confessions. Meanwhile, Margot faces an impossible choice driven by grief, impulse, and the ways that small-town life has shaped her. Falling apart is not an option, but she can always pack up and leave the beach behind.

“An emotional family drama...with endearing characters and deep insights” (Glamour), The Shore is a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting novel infused with humor about finding sisterhood, friendship, and love in a time of crisis. This big-hearted novel examines the grit and hustle of running a small business in a tourist town, the ways we connect with strangers when our families can’t give us everything we need, and the comfort found in embracing the pleasures of youth while coping with unimaginable loss.

Product Details

PublisherScribner
Publish DateMay 24, 2022
Pages304
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconHardback
EAN/UPC9781982180171
Dimensions212.7 X 139.7 X 27.9 mm | 412.8 g

About the Author

Katie Runde grew up on the Jersey Shore, where her family ran various boardwalk businesses. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College and lives in Iowa City with her husband and two daughters. The Shore is her first novel.

Reviews

"Runde is an expert at the fastball to the heart. . . . The Shore is never sentimental; it is absorbing, lucid and true. Anyone who has lost someone by inches will recognize the struggle to push through despair and affirm the dogged endurance of love." —New York Times Book Review

“A deeply felt family saga in one summer season of love, loss, and emotional awakening.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A novel about how a family contends with hardship and the ways we often flee from the people who know us best, The Shore is an emotional and authentic read.” —Shondaland

"An emotional family drama [that's] both devastating and a little bit hilarious, and Runde pulls it off beautifully, with endearing characters and deep insights." —Glamour

"One of the best beach reads of all time . . . touching and gripping and life-affirming." —TODAY.com

"An engrossing escape. . . . Runde weaves poetry and poignant questions into her debut novel. It’s an empathy-fueled exploration of caretaking and coming-of-age struggles." —NJ Monthly

“Filled with lovable characters and heart-wrenching moments . . . a powerful story of a family coming together to find comfort in the midst of crisis.” —Woman's World

"Heartfelt and bittersweetly funny." The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice

“A love story and valentine to the workers who keep the Jersey shore going.” —Newark Star-Ledger 

"The Shore is not read but breathed, as life-affirming, natural and beautifully flawed as the world and emotions it embodies. Runde is a powerful, masterfully restrained writer, a keen interpreter of the human psyche . . . perfect for readers who enjoy—and have had their hearts broken and repaired by—Mary Beth Keane, Cara Wall and Ann Napolitano.” —BookReporter

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